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Women's freedoms have been further curtailed in Afghanistan after the Taliban barred them from working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The Islamist rulers said female NGO staff had broken strict dress codes.

The edict has been condemned by the organisations themselves, as well as the UN. It comes just days after female students were banned from universities.

Female Afghan NGO workers acting as the main earners in their household told the BBC of their fear and helplessness.
One asked: "If I cannot go to my job, who can support my family?" Another breadwinner called the news "shocking" and insisted she had complied with the Taliban's strict dress code.

A third woman questioned the Taliban's "Islamic morals", saying she would now struggle to pay her bills and feed her children.
 
"The world is watching us and doing nothing," said another female interviewee. The BBC is not publishing the women's names in order to protect them.

Saturday's order came in a letter from the Ministry of Economy to both national and international NGOs. It threatened to cancel the licence of any organisation that did not swiftly comply.

By way of explanation, it said women were breaking Sharia law by failing to wear the hijab.

The move has sparked international outrage, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying it could disrupt aid deliveries and prove "devastating" to millions of Afghans.

It was also described as a "clear breach of humanitarian principles" by a senior United Nations official.

UN agencies have a significant presence in the country, carrying out relief and development work. An urgent meeting of the Humanitarian Country Team was planned for Sunday to respond to the news.
 
An employee of Save the Children told BBC News the organisation was planning to meet Taliban authorities, amid worries some NGOs would have to close if they could not employ women.